


Soft Days and Warm Nights

by Selvanic



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Other Characters May Make Appearances, Random & Short, akeshu - Freeform, shuake
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-20
Updated: 2018-04-26
Packaged: 2019-04-05 01:16:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14032971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Selvanic/pseuds/Selvanic
Summary: A collection of short fluff-centric works around Akira and Goro, because they deserve to be happy and sometimes we just want something nice. Inspired by and dedicated to @maruitenshi on Twitter and all of their beautiful soft fluff ideas.





	1. Rainy Day Nap

Adjusting to a ‘normal’ student life took more effort than Goro had anticipated, and it left him no less tired than his previous life had. Even without the extra demands on his time, trying to catch up on the classes he’d missed while hospitalized and preparing for university left him struggling to find a spare moment for himself. Nevertheless, just as he had before, he took refuge in the quiet café of LeBlanc. Sojiro didn’t bother him, nor did the regulars pay him any mind—they never had—and the coffee and curry were always delicious.

 

Akira’s company was also a desirable bonus, though Goro would be hard-pressed to admit as much to anyone.

 

In fact, to avoid drawing suspicion that Akira might be one of the biggest reasons for his visits, he often went out of his way to make sure at least some of them were when the other boy wasn’t around. Akira’s other friends had relatively predictable schedules, so Goro had little trouble determining when Akira was or wasn’t likely to be present at the café.

 

Despite these efforts, he apparently fell into a predictable pattern of ‘unpredictability’.

 

It had been raining, and as he’d come into the café Goro had been more focused on closing his umbrella to keep it from making a mess than paying attention to who was running the bar. After all, he’d worked out that Ryuji asked Akira to help him at the gym on Wednesday afternoons, so he didn’t feel like he had to pay particular attention. He’d forgotten to take into account the weather.

 

“Just the regular for you today?”

 

The question was light-hearted, the barest hint of a teasing undertone keeping it from sounding rehearsed or automatic. But it was definitely Akira who’d asked it.

 

Goro nearly dropped his umbrella, head snapping up as he put on a smile to hide his surprise. “Oh. Yes, please. That’d be great.”

 

Akira laughed as he turned to pour the cup of coffee, the sound soft and warm and settling in Goro’s chest. This was why he didn’t like seeing the other boy while unprepared.

 

“You didn’t think I’d be here, did you?” Again, the question didn’t hold any weight; there was no accusation or suspicion. Akira was making conversation.

 

As he settled into his usual spot, wrapping his hands around the warm porcelain mug, the former detective could do little more than shrug. Any answer he could give would make it obvious that he planned and timed his visits on purpose. Instead, he tried to redirect the conversation. “Most people would probably stay indoors, given how terrible the weather is. I’m surprised it’s raining this hard.”

 

“So then what brings you all the way out here?” the other boy asked, leaning casually against the counter. “Yongen’s pretty out of the way for you, isn’t it?”

 

Goro smiled and bought himself a moment by taking a sip of his coffee. “Perhaps a bit. But there’s nowhere else I can get coffee this good. And there really is no competition when it comes to atmosphere.”

 

Akira laughed, his eyes hidden for a moment behind his glasses. “I’ll be sure to pass the compliment on to the boss. He’ll love it.”

 

A comfortable silence settled over them then, punctuated by the soft murmurs of the television news broadcast and the rain against the windows. Akira moved about behind the bar, cleaning cups and checking on the coffee, while Goro let the tension of the day bleed out of his body, relaxing with every sip until he’d emptied the mug. He found it strange, sometimes, how easy he found just _existing_ around the other boy. They didn’t need to talk, or even interact, and yet he never felt unwelcome or uncomfortable. Even after everything, there was something about just being in Akira’s presence that left Goro feeling oddly content and quieted.

 

He felt so warm, and it was so tempting to just…let go. If only for a little while.

 

After a moment, however, he realized Akira was standing in front of him, gently waving a hand in front of his face, a hint of concern in the other’s soft grey eyes. “Hey…Are you alright?”

 

Goro smiled, shifting his weight to sit up a little straighter. “Of course. I guess I must have dozed off for a moment.” He felt a pang of embarrassment; he was normally in much better control of himself than that.

 

Akira didn’t seem satisfied with his answer, however, and continued to hold Goro’s eyes with his own. “You seem really tired, Goro. Maybe you should take a nap.”

 

“Of course,” the older boy laughed, shaking his head as he tried to find a polite way to look away. All of this staring was making him squirm. “I’ll just lie down in one of those booths and shut my eyes for a few minutes. That won’t be odd at all.”

 

“Don’t be such a dork,” Akira huffed, moving away from the counter and untying his apron. “Come on.” And without waiting for confirmation, the darker haired boy headed straight for the stairs that lead up to the attic, not once looking back over his shoulder.

 

Goro stared for a long moment, unsure of what to do. A part of him wanted to run, urged him to get up, leave what he owed for the coffee, and disappear into the rain. But another part squeezed a knot in his chest and forced him up off of the stool. He was done running away; he’d done too much of it already.

 

Tentatively following in the younger boy’s footsteps, Goro made his way upstairs, unsurprised to find it exactly as he remembered it. He had only been up a couple of times without a meeting having been called though—the space seeming much bigger and much more personal without the table and seven other bodies—so it still felt like somewhere he oughtn’t be. As if he’d been given the invitation by mistake.

 

Yet Akira was staring at him expectantly, standing in front of his bed with a surprisingly stern look on his face.

 

“Lie down.”

 

Goro blinked for a moment, not sure he’d heard correctly. “Excuse me?”

 

Pointing sharply at his bed without breaking eye contact, Akira repeated himself firmly. “Lie down.”

 

The older boy flushed despite himself, shoulders tensing as his feet planted themselves more firmly at the top of the stairs. “Akira, I’m not sure that this is entirely—”

 

“Goro,” Akira interrupted flatly, “don’t make me come over there.”

 

As if he were some kind of _child_. Caught between embarrassment and frustration, the former detective bit his lower lip and crossed his arms stubbornly, realizing afterward that the gesture probably wasn’t helping his case. “If you’re this concerned about me, I can go home. I have my own bed there. I certainly don’t need to be babied like this.”

 

Crossing the attic to stand in front of the older boy, Akira grabbed Goro by the wrist and gently but forcefully pulled him back toward the bed. The former detective tried to resist once, but the brief pleading look he was given in return stole what fight he’d managed to build up. All of this was posturing; it seemed even Akira was still unsure about how forthright he could be with the other boy. And there was something else there too.

 

There was a pause again when they reached the bed, neither knowing what to say until Akira took initiative once more, sitting down and pulling the older boy down with him.

 

“Lie down.” His voice was softer now, less demanding, but still gave no indication of allowing Goro to refuse the command.

 

Sighing softly, Goro turned away on the pretext of examining the bed, though it was more to keep the other from seeing the heat in his face than anything. “If I do, will you let this go?”

 

He could almost feel the tension bleed out of Akira all at once, the younger boy was seated so close to him. “Just take a quick nap, ok? I think you need it.”

 

“Fine.”

 

Goro shifted his weight, pausing when he realized the other boy had still made no move to leave. He could still feel Akira’s eyes on him as well, watching every move as if he were afraid the older boy might bolt at any minute. Or maybe just disappear. He did his best to ignore the bubbling in his chest, awkwardly slipping out of his shoes and swinging himself around so that he was positioned to lie down.

 

“You know,” he started, trying to muster as much of his usual confidence as possible, “I don’t need you to tuck me in. I think I can take it from here.”

 

Akira smiled then, and the expression was so genuine it almost knocked the air out of Goro’s lungs. And instead of answering, the former leader of the Phantom Thieves simply reached out and pushed him the rest of the way over before moving to lie down next to him.

 

“A-Akira, what are you—”

 

“I could use a nap too,” the younger boy muttered into Goro’s hair, shifting on the small bed to drape one of his arms around the older boy’s waist. “Boss won’t mind. I do this sometimes.”

 

The former detective could barely hear the other’s words over the sound of his own heartbeat in his ears. Akira curled in against his side, settling so naturally, so comfortably, that Goro was tempted to say the other had found a way to _fit_. Hesitating for a brief moment, Goro shifted just enough to put his arm around Akira’s shoulders, gently holding the younger boy in place. It felt warm. It felt comfortable. And it felt so welcoming it almost hurt.

 

Goro wanted to say something—to remind Akira that the café sign still read ‘Open’, that the door was still unlocked, that they probably ought to set an alarm—but every time he tried the words simply died in his mouth. Maybe, just this once, he would allow himself to have this, to take this, and to believe, if only for a moment, that he deserved it.


	2. Movie Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When it's hot out and you don't want to move, sometimes sitting around watching pirated movies is all you can do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realized I ought to say that there's no particular order or consistency to any of these. I'll just be posting them as I think of fluff I want to write, so I'll apologize now for any inconsistencies or contradictions.

Goro didn’t know that humans could purr—in fact, he was fairly positive they couldn’t—but the sound that Akira made came remarkably close.

 

Summer had come on strong, and the heat wave had knocked the energy out of even Ryuji, leaving most of Goro’s newfound social circle woefully inactive. On several occasions Haru had offered to host them all at her house, but after her company mandated security had insisted on hovering at every doorway during their first visit, watching silently as they tried to go about their usual activities, the others had politely declined a second attempt.

 

Pools and beaches were overcrowded, the park’s trees and lake offered barely any relief, and trying to last any longer than twenty minutes going anywhere by transit was practically a death sentence. Sojiro refused to allow eight teenagers to crowd into his home, and insisted that having them all hover about the café only made the place warmer. Akira’s attic, as well, had become stuffy and stale.

 

So when the news got out that Goro’s apartment had air-conditioning, he became everyone’s favourite friend to visit.

 

However, the space wasn’t big enough to house more than two other people at a time—a lesson they all learned the hard way—so he instigated a ‘first-come-first-serve’ visiting policy.

 

Akira had been the first to take full advantage, sending the former detective a message at the ungodly hour of four in the morning.

 

_I call dibs on your apartment today._

 

Squinting at the text on his screen, Goro debated for a long moment whether it was worth answering or not. He’d asked, several times, for the other boy to only message him like this if it was an emergency. And this hardly fit that description.

 

_You’re abusing the privilege of having my number_ , he sent back irritably.

 

_But you answered, so you’re up. I’ll be over around eleven, ok?_

 

Goro pinched the bridge of his nose and stared at the time again. _That’s in seven hours. And you aren’t even asleep yet._

 

_Is that a ‘yes’?_

 

Rolling his eyes, Goro replied with a quick affirmative before rolling over and going back to sleep. He could barely understand what went through Akira’s mind, even now with the two of them trying to be friends. Maybe that was part of the other’s appeal…

 

At exactly eleven o’clock there was a buzz at his door, and Goro was quick to let the younger man in, wanting to minimize how much of the stifling outside air crept into his already tight space. Akira was dressed comfortably, his usual bag slung over his shoulder, but there was no sign of Morgana.

 

“He let you leave him behind?” Goro asked after he’d looked around the other’s feet for a moment.

 

Akira shrugged. “He insisted. It turns out Futaba’s room has air conditioning too, to deal with all of her computers and stuff.” A crooked smile crossed the younger boy’s face. “Unless you were hoping to see him instead of me.”

 

Rolling his eyes, Goro turned on his heel and lead the other inside, gesturing to the couch as he did. “Hardly. My building has a ‘no pets’ rule, so I would have had to ask him to keep quiet. And you know how well _that_ goes over.” He paused before sitting down, glancing back at his guest. “Did you want something to drink?”

 

“Water would be great,” Akira replied, dropping down onto the couch with a contented huff. “It’s a scorcher out there.” He pulled a magazine out of his bag then, fanning himself as he stretched his legs out in front of him.

 

Goro stared for a moment, eyes following the long line of Akira’s legs, before he shook himself out of it and wandered quickly into his kitchen. Now was _definitely_ not the time to be staring slack-jawed at his friend. Not when he was already awkwardly fumbling through trying to be a good host.

 

He returned with the glass of cold water, making sure Akira had a firm grip on it before settling on the couch next to the younger boy. He watched for a moment as the other drank nearly half of the liquid in one go, stopping only to let out a satisfied sigh. Despite the air conditioning, there were still residual drops of sweat beaded on Akira’s neck, and the temperature of the water caused goosebumps to rise in response.

 

_I’m staring again_.

 

“S-So,” he started, stammering out the syllables too quickly, “I’m afraid I’m still fairly new to this ‘hosting’ thing, so I’m not sure what I could offer you in the way of entertainment.”

 

Akira hummed and shifted to set the glass down on the small coffee table in front of them. “I brought that old laptop I bought from the old man in Yongen,” he offered as he began digging through his bag. “We could watch some movies on it if you’re not opposed to some questionable legality and low video quality.”

 

“I think I find the latter more offensive,” Goro muttered, forcing himself to stare at the condensation building on the glass instead of the line of Akira’s back or the way the younger boy’s shoulders moved underneath his t-shirt. “And if you want, we can use my computer. It’s not older than we are.”

 

“Oh, that might work better then.” Akira laughed, sitting up and pushing his hair out of his face. “As long as you don’t mind my using it long enough to get us on the site Futaba told me about.”

 

Pushing himself up and off of the couch, Goro crossed the room to his desk, unplugging his computer and bringing it back with him. “I’ve absolutely nothing to hide,” he replied as he handed the device to the other boy. “I’m not stupid enough to keep incriminating material on my laptop.”

 

Akira grinned widely, a hint of mischief in his eyes. “I knew it. You keep it all in that attaché case.”

 

Goro waved one hand dismissively, settling back down on the couch and reclining as best he could. “Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you.” He looked at the other out of the corner of his eye, unable to keep from returning Akira’s smile. “Now focus on finding your movies.”

 

After some circuitous internet browsing, some of which Goro couldn’t even follow, and the quick installation of something off of a USB drive—he was assured Futaba wasn’t trying to steal anything or spy on him—Akira finally announced triumphantly that they could watch any film they wanted. However, the former detective hadn’t had much time in his past to really develop a taste in movies, and he was left offering the gentle but firm suggestion that the guest be allowed to choose.

 

“You know, you could just say you don’t care,” the younger boy teased, elbowing Goro gently. “I promise I won’t get offended.”

 

Huffing shortly, Goro shoved Akira in return. “I told you, I’m new to this whole…” He gestured vaguely, staring for a pointed moment at the other.

 

Akira grinned wickedly. “Relationship thing?”

 

“S-Socially, yes!” Goro snapped back, refusing to admit that his face was burning. Maybe the air conditioning wasn’t working. “Now would you please just pick something?”

 

The other boy laughed but conceded, scrolling through their choices before settling on a trilogy of films. “Futaba says they’re all ‘classics’,” he explained. “Which is usually code for ‘if you haven’t seen them yet I might have to disown you’.”

 

Goro looked at the estimated run-time and tried not to balk. “And we’re going to watch all three? Akira, that’s nine hours.”

 

Glancing at the clock on the computer, Akira shrugged. “I didn’t have anything else planned for the day. Did you?”

 

“Well no, but…”

 

“Then we’ll give it a shot.” The younger boy shifted his weight, settling comfortably on the couch as he cued up the first movie. “If we don’t like them or get bored, we’ll just turn them off and do something else. We can always look up a summary so that Futaba doesn’t get too up in arms about it.”

 

Goro rolled his eyes but decided not to comment. He’d made a commitment to himself to at least _try_ to be more like an average teenager now that he had the opportunity to, and binging some movies on a day when it was too hot to do much else seemed to fit the bill. And a part of him was happy to have the excuse to spend so much time seated so closely to Akira. His computer screen wasn’t _that_ big after all.

 

What he hadn’t been counting on, however, was for the other boy to start drifting off halfway through the second film. They’d paused it long enough to get something to eat, stretch their legs for a bit, and exchange some comments about the first film, but had otherwise just let the movie run. But just as the emotional tension of the trilogy was building, Akira’s head began to bob and his body swayed gently.

 

“I told you that you’d be tired today,” Goro huffed, nudging the other with his elbow. “This is what you get for staying up until four in the morning to text your friends.”

 

Akira mumbled something in response, swatting the older boy’s arm away. Goro changed tactics, shifting to push on the other’s shoulder in an attempt to force Akira to stay upright. In return, the former thief shifted his weight and tucked himself under Goro’s arm, leaning over until his head hit the older boy’s shoulder. Tucked in against the former detective, Akira let out a contented huff and relaxed into Goro’s side.

 

“A-Akira, this can’t be—”

 

“Shh,” came the sleepy retort, “I can’t hear the movie over you talking.”

 

Embarrassed and unsure of what else to say, Goro shifted enough to make sure he was comfortably settled before trying to focus back on the movie. It didn’t work. Akira was damnably warm, and no amount of air conditioning could distract him from that. Not only that, but the gentle rhythm of Akira’s breathing—which was startlingly easy to feel with the other tucked in so close—was oddly soothing. Before he could keep himself from doing it, Goro brought his hand up and began carding his fingers through the soft mess of Akira’s thick black hair.

 

The younger boy’s hair was soft and warm, and felt almost like silk feathers moving through his fingers. After the first pass through, it was hard to tell himself that he ought to stop, that he was probably crossing a line. But as Akira sighed and nosed in closer, bumping his head up into Goro’s hand, the older boy realized he was probably in the clear. And that Akira was probably spending too much time around Morgana.

 

Still, he continued to pet the younger boy—there really was no other word for it—eventually settling into a slow but comfortable rhythm. And it was then that Akira began purring. Or making a sound jarringly similar to it.

 

Goro paused, unsure if the sound was coming from the film or from the boy sitting next to him. As he waited, however, it became increasingly obvious that the sound could only be coming from Akira. The former detective stared at the boy in question, unable to see much but the top of the other’s head, but when he didn’t resume his gentle attentions, Akira reached up with one hand and rested it on top of Goro’s.

 

“It feels good,” he muttered into Goro’s chest. “Keep doing it.”

 

Flushing deeply, the older boy struggled to find the words he wanted to use. He should ask what they were doing, what this was about, if he should stop the movie, if Akira wanted to go home instead, or if maybe there was someone else Akira would rather be spending this painfully intimate moment with. But when the former thief tugged insistently yet gently on Goro’s wrist, adding a soft whine for effect, the older boy’s conviction crumbled.

 

“You’re a brat,” Goro huffed softly. “You’re not even watching the movie anymore.”

 

Rubbing his cheek against the other’s chest like the contented cat he was, Akira hummed a sleepy response. “Yes I am. And I’ve got the best seat in the house.”


	3. Late Night Calls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goro isn't the only one haunted by memories of what had almost been.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some mild angst and hurt/comfort going on in my otherwise 'fluff' based series. Hence the additional tags.

A dull, persistent, buzzing interrupted turbulent dreams composed of broken and fragmented images, distorted cries and muffled explosions, and a tangle of emotions that threatened to choke him. Goro sat up sharply, gasping and clutching at his covers as he tried to reconcile where he was. Through a gap in his curtains he could see it was still dark out, the twinkling of Tokyo’s ever-lit city lights keeping his room faintly illuminated with hints of neon otherwise invisible during the day. Brushing some hair out of his face and taking a deep, steadying breath, Goro forced himself to remember he was just in his room. His dream was just that; there was no cruise ship, no mirror image of himself, no gun pointed at his head as his own voice mocked his mistakes.

 

And then he heard the buzz again.

 

Looking around to find the source, Goro found his cell phone, the caller display informing him that Akira was trying to get in touch with him. At two-thirty in the morning.

 

Picking up the phone, Goro did his best not to sound out of breath or flustered. "What did I tell you when I gave you my number?"

 

There was a long pause on the other end of the line, and for a moment Goro wondered if this hadn't been a case of Morgana stepping over the other boy's phone and accidentally calling him. It wouldn't have been the first time. But he could hear the faint sound of someone breathing, and after a moment, a soft response was uttered.

 

"That I'm not supposed to abuse the privilege of having your private number." There was a hint of mockery in Akira's voice, but something felt...off. As if the humour was put on for the older boy's sake. It put Goro on edge.

 

The former detective, however, decided to try and feel things out instead. "Exactly. And what times did I say would be acceptable for nonsense phone calls?"

 

His question was met with a dry laugh. "Office hours?"

 

"I was more specific than that, but fine," Goro scolded. "So what do you need that you're breaking the rules like this?"

 

Once again, there was a long pause. He could hear the other boy moving on the other end of the phone, could hear the shuffling of blankets and something that probably indicated that Akira was sitting up. Had the former thief called him while lying down?

 

"Akira—"

 

"I'm glad you picked up."

 

Goro was startled by the sudden sincerity he could hear in Akira's voice. There was vehemence there too, as if there was still something left unsaid, something tugging at the other's tongue but refusing to come out. It made the older boy oddly nervous.

 

Slowly, tentatively, Goro forced himself to answer. "Well...you woke me up. I thought it might have been an emergency."

 

The former detective silently kicked himself. He could tell Akira was struggling with something, and that was the best he could say in return? It was little wonder he struggled so much with connecting to people.

 

However, it seemed to be enough.

 

Akira laughed again, the faintest hints of genuine humour returning to his voice. "Depends on your definition of emergency."

 

"I was fairly certain I said the definition was non-negotiable. So unless someone has died..."

 

His comment was met with a sharp intake of breath and what sounded like Akira fumbling briefly with the phone. Had he hit on something?

 

Before he could ask, though, the younger man laughed again, the sound clipped and almost forced. "I needed to make sure that they hadn't."

 

Goro took a moment to process what the other boy was talking about. And then it dawned on him.

 

The two of them had been having the same nightmare.

 

The former detective had done his best to stop thinking about what had happened on that damned ship, what it had almost cost him and what he'd been willing to do. He tried not to think about how desperate he'd been. And in doing so, he'd never stopped to think about whether the former Phantom Thieves had ever thought about it either. He simply assumed they didn't; they had no reason to think about that whole ordeal. They'd achieved their goals, regardless of whether or not he had survived, and that he had was probably just a relief. One less thing for them to worry about; one less stain on their consciences. Their record was clean: there was no blood on their hands, either directly or otherwise.

 

But he remembered how they'd looked at him when he'd turned up again. He remembered the shock, confusion, and eventual relief that played its way over all of their faces. And he very clearly, very distinctly, remembered the way Akira hadn't been able to look at him after a moment, had hidden behind his glasses and simply let the others do all the talking, the shouting, the shaking and question asking. In fact, if he really thought about it, it was at least a couple of days before the younger boy had even spoken to him.

 

Akira had taken what had happened in that engine room harder than he'd ever thought the other boy would, and Goro hadn’t once stopped to consider that as a possibility.

 

His throat felt tight as he tried to get the words out, as he tried to find something to say, to offer some kind of reassurance. It wasn't his strong suit, and he felt entirely out of his depth. "Akira," he started tensely, swallowing around the thick lump in his throat, "I'm...I suppose it's redundant at this point, but I'm alright. I'm...still here."

 

On the other end of the line, there was a soft sigh, followed by a gentle laugh. "I'm glad. And I guess I'm sorry for calling for a non-emergency." There was the sound of blankets shifting again and a dull thump that was probably Morgana hopping down onto the floor. "But, since I've got you, do you think I could ask a favour?"

 

Goro checked the time. It was nearly three in the morning. What more could Akira possibly want? "I suppose. As long as it's reasonable."

 

"Mm...you'll have to be the judge of that." The reply was comfortable, casual, much of the tension that had been in Akira's voice earlier barely detectable any longer. "I wanna come over."

 

" _Now_?" Goro almost dropped his phone, shifting to swing his legs over the edge of the bed. "The trains won't be running for another hour and a half."

 

Akira laughed, and once again there was the sound of movement that lead the former detective to believe the other boy was getting dressed. "It's called a cab, Goro. Now can I come over or not?"

 

Licking his lips and absently trying to smooth out his hair, the older boy struggled to find some reason to oppose the request besides the obvious. It was late. They both had school the next day, meaning they both ought to be sleeping. But no matter what he landed on, a louder part of his brain refused the reason as petty.

 

"If you really want to."

 

The simple response was met with a chuckle. "I do," was the reply. "I'll see you soon." There was a pause again, a moment of hesitation, and then the line went dead.

 

Goro stared at his phone in his hand, blinking stupidly as he tried to process what had just happened. All this time, Akira had been just as bothered by what had happened down in that hellhole as he had been, if not more so. Akira had been genuinely afraid of losing him, or, if nothing else, had been torn up over the thought of not being able to save him. And, apparently, it had been bothering him enough to plague the former cool and collected leader of the Phantom Thieves with nightmares.

 

Nightmares that Goro thought only he deserved.

 

Getting up out of bed, Goro hurried to his bathroom to try and make himself look more presentable. He brushed his hair, washed his face, and found a housecoat in his closet so he could keep warm while he waited. He settled in his living room, then, crossing his arms and staring blankly at the wall.

 

A soft ping told him he had a message.

 

_Caught a cab. I should be there soon_.

 

Goro couldn't help but smile, replying with a simple, _Good._

 

He wasn't sure _why_ he was so happy to know the other boy was coming, but the longer he sat there and waited, each time he looked at the simple message, he felt a kind of warmth in his chest that he couldn't quite place.

 

When Akira finally arrived, Goro was quick to usher him inside, scolding the other boy gently when he realized that Akira had 'gotten dressed' by throwing a coat on top of his pyjamas, which were little more than sweatpants and a t-shirt. He took and hung up Akira's coat, offering a brief lecture more for show than anything. He was surprised, however, when, as he finished putting his guest's coat away, he found the other boy's arms wrapped tightly around his middle.

 

"Akira? What are you—"

 

Nosing in against the back of Goro's neck, the boy in question let out a deep breath loaded with all the tension he'd been apparently bottling up. "I just...need to remind myself that you're actually here. That you're ok."

 

Goro felt the heat creep up from his chest all the way into his face, and he shifted to rest his hands on top of Akira's. The warmth of the other's chest against his back, the way the younger man's hands curled in his shirt, was oddly comforting, if a touch embarrassing. He squeezed Akira's hands gently, trying once more to offer some kind of comfort.

 

"I am. I promise." He laughed dryly, shaking his head a bit as he did. "You didn't fail."

 

Suddenly, Akira moved away, spinning Goro around so the two were face to face. There was a seriousness in the other's grey eyes, a hardness there that shocked Goro into silence. He felt like he must have done something wrong.

 

"Goro, it wasn't about 'failing' some kind of mission." Akira's voice was stern, his grip on the former detective's shoulders tightening with emphasis. "It was about losing you. It was about knowing you'd died when you didn't deserve to, knowing that you'd been wronged again. Especially when I found out the truth about what was happening to all of us." He moved one of his hands, running his fingers through Goro's hair before resting his palm against the older boy's cheek. "I didn't want to think we'd— _I'd_ —lost you. Not like that."

 

Flustered and unsure of how to respond, Goro let himself lean into Akira's touch without breaking eye contact. He'd never thought anyone would say anything like that to him; he'd never thought anyone would feel so strongly about keeping him when everyone else in his life saw him as disposable. And for all that a part of him refused to believe in what he was being told, was afraid to open himself up to be hurt again, the honesty in Akira's eyes was impossible to deny.

 

Akira's fingers brushed gently against Goro's cheek again before he pulled the older boy into another tight hug. "I'm so glad you're here," he whispered into the other's hair.

 

Goro tentatively wrapped his arms around Akira in return, relaxing into the hold and closing his eyes. The warmth, the feeling of genuinely being wanted, had waves of exhaustion suddenly rolling over his body. It was late, he'd been struggling to sleep soundly, but something about this moment filled him with a sense of peace he hadn't known before.

 

Stifling a yawn and curling a hand against the back of Akira's shirt, the former detective muttered softly into the other boy's hair. "Will you stay with me tonight?"

 

"I was hoping to," Akira replied, muffling a yawn of his own in Goro's hair. "I think it's almost four thirty now."

 

Goro chuckled and gently, reluctantly, untangled himself from the younger man. They shared another brief moment of eye contact before the former detective led his guest into his room. His bed wasn't big, but it wasn't any smaller than the one in the cafe's attic. And the two of them had shared that more times than Goro was willing to admit. He waited for Akira to settle first, taking his spot next to the other boy afterwards. As soon as he had, Akira wrapped his arms around Goro and held on tightly.

 

The older boy ran his fingers through Akira's hair, feeling the insistent tug of sleep pulling at his eyes and muscles as they settled in comfortably with one another. He felt, more than heard, Akira mutter something into his chest, and all he could do was smile in response. This was an odd pattern they were falling into, and, if he were being honest with himself, it was one he wanted to continue.

 

Akira had always been different. From the first time he'd seen the other boy, there'd been something, a spark that had drawn Goro to him. Whether it was by design or otherwise, they'd found each other. And whether it was fate or their spitting in fate's eye, they'd grown entirely too fond of one another.

 

"Thank you, Akira." He whispered the words softly into the top of Akira's head, holding onto the younger boy tightly as he let sleep pull him down.


	4. Take the Plunge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Goro goes to Ann for some advice and gets more than he bargained for.

Goro stood outside of the diner, tapping his foot impatiently and checking his phone to make sure he wasn’t imagining the other’s tardiness He’d even gone out of his way to pick a location that was familiar and easily accessible to avoid this very problem. And yet he was still left waiting, offering the occasional smile or polite wave to people who paused long enough to ask if he was lost or in need of assistance in some way. He was about to give up when he heard a voice shout over the general noise of the crowd.

 

Sighing heavily, Goro looked as unimpressed as he could as the blond pushed her way through the crowd, eventually standing in front of him and struggling to catch her breath, hands braced on her knees.

 

"I-I'm...sorry...I'm late..." Ann gasped out, shaking her head to keep her full hair out of her face despite the futility of the gesture. As she caught her breath, she stood up and smiled apologetically. "Futaba needed help with something and it went longer than expected. You know how she can get sometimes."

 

The former detective looked at the young woman standing in front of him, noticing the dust on her shirt and tights, the way her hair sat lopsided as some of it seemed to have worked its way free from its ties...She wasn't lying then. And she must have run the whole way from the station just to make sure she caught him.

 

Releasing another exasperated sigh—though more for show than anything—Goro shrugged and gestured to the diner's entrance. "Shall we, then? It doesn't seem terribly busy in there, so we shouldn't have any trouble getting a table."

 

Ann smiled and nodded, grabbing his arm and tugging him inside. The model had been one of the first to openly take to him after everything had been said and done. She'd been the most insistent about spending time with him—about getting to know him as a person—and she had been the most vocally sympathetic about what had happened.

 

The first time he'd agreed to spend time with her apart from the others, she'd almost immediately bemoaned his plight, cursed out his father and the government system that had failed him, and sympathized with how alone he must have felt his whole life—all in one breath. Goro hadn't known what to make of it at the time; in fact, he'd been left completely speechless in the wake of her outburst of emotions. Afterwards, however, he'd found Ann one of the easiest to talk to, one of the easiest to trust, and before either of them knew how, she had become something of a lifeline for him when he needed to talk about—what she had termed—'sensitive issues'.

 

"So!" She started as soon as they were seated at a small booth, clapping her hands together and leaning across the table towards him. "What is it this time? What did he do? Or what did _you_ do?" Her blue eyes were bright with excitement, and for a moment Goro regretted asking for her help. But there was no one else he could think to ask. Not about this.

 

Taking a deep breath and avoiding her stare for a moment, Goro fussed with his gloves before finally settling on taking them off. He hated this part. "It's not what either of us did, Ann. But it's something I...may need your assistance in doing."

 

"I'm not going to help you kill him."

 

Her tone was light and teasing, and she reached across the table to swat him. He wasn't sure how he felt about the fact that they could joke about that now; he wasn't sure he _could_ quite yet. Still, he supposed it was better than any of them continuing to resent him for it, even if he believed they ought to.

 

He smiled nevertheless, doing his best to keep it from looking as thin as it felt. "As if I would ever ask for your assistance with that. You're a terrible actress."

 

Ann huffed and mock-pouted. "I'm getting better, you know! Everyone says so."

 

"Good for you." Goro paused long enough to place an order for an iced coffee and nothing else. He was always a bit hesitant when it came to diner food, especially when he was trying to find a way to ask about something that made his stomach knot.

 

The model ordered a sweet fruit drink and some pie, smiling at him when he looked at her questioningly. "There's always time for dessert, Goro, and I'm pretty sure you and I are going to be here a while by the look on your face."

 

Huffing shortly, the former detective sat back and crossed one leg over the other, considering the girl for a long moment. She was surprisingly shrewd; he would never have pegged her as one of the more observant thieves before they’d started talking. "I certainly hope this doesn't take long. I just need a bit of...advice."

 

"Ok, shoot." Ann beamed, settling comfortably and leaning on the table between them. "I'll do my best, and I promise no jokes."

 

"And no screaming," Goro added flatly, staring the blond in the eyes. "The last thing we need is to make a scene."

 

"Ooo~" she cooed, grinning broadly, "What're you going to be asking me about that I might scream?"

 

And there it was. There was no talking around it anymore. There was no more putting it off or joking or avoiding it.

 

Swallowing hard and trying not to lose his composure, Goro averted his eyes once more and forced the words out as indifferently as possible. "How does one go about...asking someone out?"

 

Ann clapped a hand over her mouth, her bright eyes widening as the girl clearly fought the urge to scream just as she'd been asked not to. As an obvious substitute, she began bouncing in her seat, brightened gaze never leaving Goro’s face as she made muffled and incoherent noises of excitement behind her hand. Under the table, she even went so far as to kick his foot several times, never hard but definitely insistently.

 

Wrinkling his nose and shifting away from her, Goro reached out and grabbed her arm. He refused to admit that his face was burning, and he did his best to look as reprimanding as possible as he stared at her. "If you're going to be this way, I'm going to walk out and ask someone else."

 

"Like _who_?" the girl squeaked, her smile so wide Goro was surprised it wasn't hurting her to hold it. "No offence, but Makoto will probably be just as bad as you are right now, Haru will offer something you absolutely can't afford and then offer to pay for it, and Futaba will give you otome game advice. Ryuji would blab _immediately_ , and Yusuke would definitely lay out the most artistic and somehow still out-dated dating advice ever." Ann clapped her hands in quick, quiet, excitement. "You’re stuck with me and you know it!"

 

"Not at this rate I’m not!" Goro retorted defensively. "You're just..." He gestured at her as she continued to all but vibrate in place. "How is this helping me?"

 

Ann laughed and stuck her tongue out. "Well excuse me for being excited for my friend. I'm just glad you finally figured it out on your own." She gently tugged her arm free from his hand and, as a rebuttal, covered his hand with both of hers. "Now let's get to the heart of the matter, shall we?"

 

Goro flushed and sputtered, trying to tug his hand away and feeling even worse when, in that moment, the waitress returned with their orders. The woman smiled knowingly at the two of them, clearly fighting the urge to say anything before walking away.

 

If he could have crawled away and died in a hole, he would have been extremely grateful.

 

"Fine," he bit out instead, giving up on fighting against Ann's hold. "But all I need is something...simple."

 

Releasing Goro's hand in favour of her drink and dessert, Ann sat back and grinned. "You mean besides the obvious, right?"

 

The former detective glared, adding milk to his coffee instead of answering.

 

"Oh come on, Goro," Ann teased, taking a quick mouthful of pie. "Don't tell me you haven't once considered just, you know, asking him? Like a good ol', 'Hey Akira, wanna go out with me?'"

 

Choking on a sip of coffee, Goro looked around quickly as if he half-expected the boy in question to be right there. It wouldn't have surprised him, honestly. Akira was damnably good at showing up out of nowhere; particularly when it was inconvenient or embarrassing for the former detective. With the coast clear, Goro cleared his throat and sat up as straight as he could.

 

"Of course I've considered it," he said as matter-of-factly as possible, "But I've also considered that I might...not be able to do that."

 

Ann nodded and hummed thoughtfully around another mouthful of pie. "Mm...yeah...You'd probably choke." She tapped her fork on her plate, tilting her head as she consulted what must have been some list of options in her mind. "You need something a little more...extra."

 

"Extra?" The word felt like a slight and felt thick and clunky coming out of his mouth. "What's that supposed to mean?"

 

The blond stared at him, an eyebrow arched accusingly. "Really? Goro, you cannot look me in the eye and tell me you don't have a flair for the unnecessarily dramatic."

 

Goro felt his shoulders tense defensively, but as he searched for some kind of rebuttal, he came up short. He, personally, wouldn't have described himself as such, but it was definitely hard to disprove. After all, he _had_ gone out of his way to contact Ann in secret, to ask her not to tell anyone, and to make sure they met at a time when he was fairly sure all the others had something else to do, a fact he'd checked against the schedule he'd been building by observing the others' patterns for weeks. He’d also been deliberately avoiding Akira for the past few days leading up to the conversation, and had gone over how to broach the question several times in his mind, rehearsing this meeting at least three or four times this past morning alone.

 

Ok. _Maybe_ he could be dramatic.

 

"Fine...Say that that is the case," he replied, trying not to sound as petulant as he knew he did, "What would your suggestion be?"

 

Ann looked thoughtfully at the remains of her pie, pushing some pieces of fruit around as she worked through the 'problem' she'd been given. Suddenly, she dropped her fork, clapping her hands together as she did and almost startling Goro into dropping his glass in the process. "I've got it!"

 

Quickly recomposing himself, Goro levelled an accusing stare at the young woman. "I should hope so, with an outburst like that."

 

Ann swatted him again, though she continued smiling. "You don't have to be so serious all the time, you know," she huffed in mock-offence, "And I think this'll be right up your alley."

 

Goro waited expectantly, watching the girl across from him for a long moment before he realized what was happening. She wanted him to _ask_. He bit his lip and swallowed his pride and forced through his teeth: "And what, exactly, would your plan be?"

 

Ignoring his obvious frustration, Ann gently pushed her plate and glass out of the way before unfolding her napkin between them and pulling a pen out of her purse. "Ok, so, it's still just a rough idea—and feel free to chime in if you have any suggestions or corrections—but I think it'll work." She drew a quick box on one side of the napkin. "So this is Leblanc, right?"

 

"Sure." Anything that involved diagrams probably wasn't going to work, but Goro had dug himself this hole and he supposed he was going to have to see how it played out.

 

"Right. And this is where you normally sit." She marked an 'x' on her drawing. "So, you come in, play it cool, order your coffee, chat for a bit...You know, the stuff you always do." At this, Ann looked to Goro for confirmation.

 

"Ok," he prompted, still unsure of how this was going to help.

 

"But you make sure you do it close to close." This, she said with a conspiratorial air, as if it was the lynchpin to her plan. "You just pass the time chatting, and before you know it, Boss is asking him to close up and telling you not to miss your train."

 

The former detective frowned, cocking his head as he tried to understand where she might be going with all of this. "I...do that fairly often."

 

"Exactly!" Ann grinned, her tone hinting that he'd hit on something while Goro continued to feel utterly lost. "They won't suspect anything." She shifted her weight, shaking her pen to make sure the ink was flowing before marking another 'x' on the map. "So now you and Akira will be alone in the cafe, right? And he'll start closing up like Boss asked."

 

Goro rubbed his forehead, sitting back and giving up on predicting Ann's plan. "As he always does."

 

"But!" Ann interjected, jabbing her pen into the napkin, "This time you ask for another coffee after he's closed out the register. At which point, he'll offer to comp it for you."

 

"Ann, he's done that—"

 

"I know!" she interrupted, "And that's what makes this so perfect!" She looked at him, beaming proudly. "You'll happily accept the coffee, joke that you should really make all of this free coffee up to him, and ask if maybe you could treat him to something special to pay him back."

 

Goro stared at Ann for a long moment, waiting to see if there was more to come, but she was just looking at him from across the table, clearly hoping for his input. He arched an incredulous eyebrow. "That's it?"

 

Ann nodded. "I mean, it'll work, right? And you'll get to play your cool, casual, self the whole time. Just off the cuff, 'Oh, Akira, you've been so generous I really ought to repay you. Why don't I treat you to dinner?' or something."

 

He could feel a headache coming on. "Why did this require a map? Or all of that build-up at all?"

 

Laughing and tucking her pen back into her purse, the model poked him lightly in the chest. "You're not the only one who can be unnecessarily dramatic. Besides, I was waiting for you to have a bunch of extra stuff you wanted to add that I'd have to find a way to work into my map."

 

"This is ridiculous," Goro huffed. "And what will I do if he says 'no'? He usually does when I offer to pay him back for all of the free coffee he's given me."

 

Ann paused, looking at her map as if the crude square with its two 'x's would tell her anything. "Well...don't back down. Insist. And don't be subtle about the fact that it's a date you're asking for."

 

"Ann," Goro forced out through gritted teeth, "The whole point of this...was because I don't believe I can be direct with this request. If he tells me 'no'..."

 

"You'll just back down?" The girl sounded scandalized, as if he'd destroyed years of her life's work.

 

Feeling tired and heavy, Goro shook his head. "I'm not sure. I might. I might take the out when it's given to me. God knows I've done it before..." He sat back and stared at the ceiling for a moment, rubbing his temples as he fought back a headache. "This was a bad idea; I shouldn't have bothered with this."

 

"Hey!" Ann snapped, reaching across the table and slapping Goro's chest. "Stop that! This is a great plan; you just need to buck up and follow through with it!"

 

The former detective swatted the girl's hand away irritably, feeling frustrated and strung out. "Stop that! This was a ridiculous idea and you know it. I shouldn't even be thinking about this. I..." He paused biting his lip and feeling a sickening drop in his stomach. "I hardly deserve—"

 

He was interrupted by Ann kicking him under the table before her fingers began tapping rapidly and irritably on her phone. "You know what? I'm not going to put up with your moping. If it's motivation you need, I'll give it to you." The girl’s tone was surprisingly severe. She didn't look up from her phone until she was done whatever she was doing, and when she did, her eyes were hard and unwavering. "I just queued up an email to Akira, _telling him_ that you want to date him. It'll send in the next hour."

 

Goro's jaw went slack and he felt the colour drain out of his face.

 

Ann pressed on, never breaking eye contact. "If you go and ask him out yourself, and get him to text me confirmation that you did it, I'll cancel the email. And," she shifted out of his reach, holding her phone above her head, "if you try to take this from me to delete it, I'll scream. I'm sure I don't have to tell you how that would end, Mr. ‘Don’t-Make-A-Scene’."

 

This was anything but what Goro had expected from this meeting. He'd hoped for some gentle encouragement, some tips, maybe to be told he was being silly...He certainly wasn't expecting Ann, of all people, to emotionally blackmail him.

 

"You're burning time, detective," the model teased wickedly. "Better get a move on or he'll find out through me. And he'll know you came to me first and chickened out. You wouldn't want _that_ hanging over your head forever."

 

"Y-You...don't mean this." Goro chuckled weakly, hoping that if he pretended hard enough, this whole thing would turn out to be a joke. "Ann, I appreciate your vigour but—"

 

'Tsk'-ing softly, Ann stared at her phone. "Already down to fifty-five minutes. And you have to catch the train from here too. Not to mention you can't even be sure that he's going to be at Leblanc."

 

"Ann please…." The former detective refused to admit he was pleading, but there was definitely a feeling of desperation building in his chest. "Just delete the email. I'm sure we can figure out an alternative."

 

Ann arched an eyebrow, tapping one well-manicured nail against her napkin 'map'. "You already said my best idea wasn't going to work because you'd take an easy out. So now it's time for Plan B, where the only easy out is embarrassing yourself. And you really are wasting precious time."

 

Goro opened and closed his mouth, wracking his brain to find some way to negotiate with the girl sitting across from him. But the longer he stared, the longer he waited, the more he realized that Ann was serious. She wasn't going to budge. He had to make a decision.

 

Squaring his shoulders, Goro quickly produced the money he owed for his long-forgotten coffee and left it on the table as he slid out of his seat, grabbing his gloves as an afterthought. He didn't bother looking back at the blond; he wouldn't give her the satisfaction of seeing that she'd 'won' with this ridiculous ploy. He knew as much was written in his eyes.

 

He moved quickly onto the street, navigating the afternoon crowds and picking his way to the station. As he walked, he checked the calendar on his phone. As long as nothing new had come up, Akira was 'scheduled' to be at the cafe. The train never took long, so he was fairly certain he would make it within the time limit. However, the other boy likely wasn't alone; he was undoubtedly working with Sojiro, which meant Futaba would be tucked into her usual corner booth, unless whatever ‘help’ she’d needed earlier had her ensconced in her room. How was he going to approach this? What was he even planning to do once he arrived? Could he ask the others to leave? What if there were customers present? He shook his head, dismissing the thoughts for now and focusing on his destination. He couldn't afford to cloud his mind with too many 'what ifs' just yet. He couldn't risk missing his stop.

 

However, the universe seemed set on putting everything in his way. There was an incident at the station, and people had stopped to stare, significantly slowing his progress. After he'd pushed through the crowd, he was greeted by the information that the train had been delayed due to a mechanical failure, and a new train wouldn't be up and running for another fifteen minutes. Upon opening the app he'd downloaded for booking a taxi, he found that the estimated travel time to his destination would push him just outside of his remaining time, as most cabs wouldn't drive into Yongen directly; he'd have to walk the last part of the way.

 

He wanted to scream. With each minute lost, his patience slipped.

 

He paced restlessly up and down the station platform, alternatively checking his phone and glancing down the tunnel in hopes of seeing the next train's headlights. When the train finally arrived, it took what little self-control he had left not to shove his way on, reminding himself bitterly that, regardless of how fast he boarded, he couldn't control when the train left or how quickly it arrived at the other station.

 

Nevertheless, when the train arrived at Yongen, he once again pushed his way through the crowd, moving quickly up the stairs and through the winding tunnels. The crowds were thinner here; the primarily residential area meant that most of the foot traffic was made up of people who actually lived there. Several of them even recognized him, one going so far as to stop him to ask how his schooling was doing and if he was just coming now for coffee or if he was on his way out.

 

He'd never wanted to shout at a senior citizen more than he did in that moment.

 

Forcing himself to remain pleasant while still very obviously rushing the conversation, Goro finally managed to break away from the old man and make his way the last few blocks to Leblanc's front door. He checked his phone and nearly dropped it in response; he had less than ten minutes left before Ann ruined him.

 

Goro all but kicked the door open, staggering through with footsteps loud enough to drown out the soft sound of the bell overhead. His unconventional entrance was immediately greeted by a sharp yelp of fear to his left and a couple of confused curses from behind the counter.

 

Akira was the first one to say anything, having recomposed himself after almost dropping the mug he'd been drying. "Goro? Is something wrong?"

 

"There'd better be with an entrance like that," Sojiro grumbled, straightening himself out after what had probably been a less than dignified flinch.

 

It was now or never. The former detective had to make a snap decision. And those had never been his strong suit.

 

"Go out with me!"

 

His mouth had formed the words before his brain could stop them, and in his still adrenaline high state of having rushed from partway across Tokyo to beat a threatening email, he'd used an inappropriate level of volume to boot. Even the customer at the far end of the cafe had leaned out of his booth to turn and stare at the young man who'd decided to knock down the door only to shout something that should have been said in a quiet personal conversation.

 

A heavy silence hung over the cafe as Goro's demand echoed overhead. The former detective could feel the heat creeping up his neck and into his face as he stood there, hands curled at his sides, staring at the boy behind the counter whose eyes were hidden behind large reflective glasses.

 

Finally, Futaba began laughing. The girl—tucked neatly in her booth and crouched over her laptop as usual—nearly pitched herself sideways in her fit, snickering and struggling to put together a coherent response. Instead, she snorted and slapped the table, choking out half syllables that Goro knew amounted to merciless mockery.

 

As he turned to defend himself, happy to have the distraction from his own embarrassment, Akira spoke up.

 

"You mean me?"

 

The question knocked the wind out of Goro's chest, nearly forcing the former detective to his knees. He turned, indignant, on the younger man. " _Yes, you_!" he snapped, face burning worse than before, "Who else would I _possibly_ be talking to?!"

 

Akira grinned, putting the mug he'd finished working with down and looking to Sojiro for some kind of permission before pulling his apron off over his head. He then walked out from behind the counter, crossing the floor to stand in front of Goro, actively ignoring Futaba’s now running commentary.

 

"I just wanted to make sure." The smile on Akira's face was reminiscent of the ones Joker wore in the Metaverse, the smiles Goro had only seen for a month. The smile that made the younger man look like a cat who'd cornered his prey. "So," he pressed, eyes laughing, "What was the question again?"

 

Futaba burst into another fit of laughter and Goro wished the floor would open up and swallow him whole. Ann could have this one. None of this was worth it anymore. Nevertheless, he'd come this far. And if he backed out now, every person in this cafe would never let him live it down.

 

"It wasn't a question," he bit out through clenched teeth. "I _told you_ to go out with me."

 

Akira hummed, cradling his chin between his thumb and forefinger for a moment before nodding. "That sounds like you, yeah." When Goro looked ready to reach out and strangle the younger man, he continued. "Sure. Sounds good."

 

_Sounds good_? That was it? Goro felt lightheaded. He felt sick. He felt frustrated and humiliated. He felt mortified beyond reason. And yet he somehow felt happier than he probably had any right to be.

 

Sojiro scoffed and shook his head, calling everyone's attention to him for a moment. "Nice, kid. Couldn't have given him that sooner? Saved at least _some_ of his pride?" He waved Akira's grin off and reached across the counter to push Goro's usual bar seat out and away from the counter. "Sit down and I'll get you the regular. You look like you could use something familiar right about now."

 

Goro gratefully accepted the offer, all but collapsing into his seat and cupping the mug between his hands. It was then that he remembered he was supposed to have Akira tell Ann that he'd followed through on his end. Just as he looked up to do so, however, he saw the other boy looking confusedly at his phone.

 

"Hey Goro," Akira asked, looking at the older boy, "This is addressed to you, but it was sent to me. And it doesn't make any sense."

 

The former detective took the phone from the other boy and looked at the message on the screen. There was just a simple message: _Attn. Goro: got you._

 

It took every ounce of self-control Goro had left not to scream and smash the phone on the ground. Ann had played him like a fiddle and was probably laughing herself stupid over his panicked response. The model had completely outsmarted him, and while he wanted to strangle her, he also couldn't help but admire her. He'd sorely underestimated the wiles of Ann Takamaki.

 

"So." Akira's voice cut through Goro's thoughts, forcing the older boy to stop and look up. Sometime while he'd been staring at the phone, the former thief had gotten much closer, and the two were nearly nose-to-nose. "What're we going to do now that we're dating?"

 

Goro flushed all over again, sputtering and nearly pitching out of his seat as he flinched backward. Futaba was thrown into yet another fit of laughter, and Sojiro promptly began scolding Akira for 'mistreating his poor boyfriend'.

 

Boyfriend. Goro had always thought the word was stupid, trivial, a meaningless label for people desperate to label things. Yet it had just been applied to him, and the sound of it had made his heart flutter and lodge itself in his throat. Akira was his boyfriend now.

 

"And to think," Goro muttered to himself, shaking his head as he stared at his coffee, "I tried several times to kill you..."

 

"You're threat-mantic," Akira offered dismissively. "It's fine. I thought it was cute."

 

Straightening up in indignity, Goro turned and punched Akira in the leg, forcing the other boy to go down. "You're the worst," he snarled through his embarrassment. "How do you sleep at night?"

 

Akira groaned through the pain, smiling up at Goro regardless. "Hopefully next to you more often."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has been sitting on my computer for almost three weeks now. OTL but huge thanks to my fiance for editing for me! 
> 
> I really just wanted to do something silly and fun, and from here on new chapters will be based on Akira and Goro being in a relationship.

**Author's Note:**

> These will vary in content from soft cuddles to minor hurt/comfort to anything I think of at the time I start writing, so the rating is as it is in case I add something a little more mature in nature.


End file.
